Although your iPhone 5s may not be facing the same battery issues that some handsets are, you may still be searching for a way to keep your iPhone running throughout your day. Mophie offers a few different battery cases for the iPhone 5/5s, but today we'll be looking at the Juice Pack Air($99.95).
The Juice Pack Air is a two-piece case for your iPhone 5/5s that houses a built-in 1,700 mAh battery that, according to Mophie's claims, will give your iPhone up to 100 percent more power, which is up to 10 additional hours of 3G talk time, up to eight additional hours of 3G internet use, up to 11 additional hours on Wi-Fi, and up to 10 additional hours of video playback.
The case itself roughly doubles the thickness of your iPhone, but the bulk is necessary to house that battery. Pass-through buttons are integrated into the case, giving you uninhibited access to the volume buttons and sleep/lock switch. The microphone and speaker still work fine, if not a bit better with the case, as the sound gets channeled to the front of the phone, as opposed to the bottom.
An included micro-USB cable is included to charge the case, which can be done both on its own or while connected to your iPhone. Unfortunately, you won't be able to sync your Juice Pack Air-clad iPhone with the included micro-USB cable. You'll either have to do all your syncing wirelessly, or take your iPhone out of its case before connecting it to iTunes.
After a few days with the Juice Pack Air, I can say that the added weight isn't very noticeable and actually feels pretty good with the case's soft finish. From 20 percent battery on my iPhone 5s, the Juice Pack Air was able to get me back to 70–75 percent fairly quickly when fully charged. I would imagine its performance would be better on an iPhone 5, due to it's smaller battery, but it typically gave me more power than I needed for a normal day.
The Good
• Looks and feels good.
• Performs as well as it needs to.
• Protects your phone.
The Bad
• Can't sync your phone with the case on, unless you do it wirelessly.
• Can be difficult to remove.
• Doesn't quite live up to Mophie's claims for the iPhone 5s
The Verdict
The Juice Pack Air is a great battery case for the iPhone 5/5s that performs very well under normal conditions. In addition to providing the your iPhone with enough power to get you through a long day, it does so without taking away from the sleek design of your phone.
For more information on the Juice Pack Air, visit Mophie's website.